Nuclear magnetism signal analyzing system



Nov; 18, 1969 J. H. BAKER, JR 3,479,579

NUCLEAR MAGNETISM SIGNAL ANALYZI'NG SYSTEM Filed Dec.

3,479,579 Patented Nov. 18, 1969 3,479,579 NUCLEAR MAGNETISM SIGNAL ANALYZING SYSTEM John H. Baker; Jr., Houston, Tex., assignorto Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas Fuga Dec. 6, 1966, ser. No. 599,527

if Int. Cl. G01n 27/72 U.S. Cl. S24-'1.5 8 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLGSUiE '-'This invidtion relates to nuclear magnetism-well logging systems andfiiibre particularly, to a new and improved system for analyzing nuclear magnetism signals.

In my copending application Ser. No. *537,475 filed Mar. 25, 1966;:for Nuclear Magnetism Logging System, an arrangement for inducing and detecting frire precession of lgyromagnetic nuclei in the formations adjacent to a well bore is described. As stated in that application, the determination of the initial magnitude of the precession signal whichA provides information regarding` the proportionof free` gyromagnetic nuclei in the formation is rendered ditiicult because the precession signa'l is extremely small, the duration of the measurable signal'zis very short and', during its initial operation, the signal obliterated by transient vvsignals resulting from termination of the polarizing field which is used to induce precession of the nuclei. ln addition, according to the systemj described in the above-mentioned copending application, a ringing current `is applied during the initial portion of the precession interval which also prevents detection of the precession signal during that time. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to -provide' a new and improved system for analyzing nuclear magnetism signals which overcomes the abovementioned disadvantages of present system.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved nuclear magnetism signal analyzing system which gives a highly accurate'indication of the initial amplitude of a nuclear magnetism precession signal.

These and other objects of the invention are attained by integratingthe direct current component of the nuclear magnetism signal over at least two selected periods of timeA following termination of interfering transient signals to produce accurate indications of the signal magnitude at known times after the initiation of the signal. The values obtained by this integration are compared as by taking their ratio so as to provide an indication of the initial magnitude of the signal which is, in turn, a measure of the proportion of free gyromagnetic nuclei, or Free Fluid Index of the formation. Preferably, the signal is integrated during two time periods which run concurrently, one period being longer than the other. Alternatively, the time periods may be consecutive or at spaced intervals. In a particularform of apparatus according to the invention, a signal detector recties the nuclear magnetism United States Patent Olice signal and applies it to a long interval integrator rand a short interval integrator. A ratio detector determines the ratio of the integrated signalY magnitude during the two time intervals and this ratio is multiplied by a correction factor and by the sho'rt .integrator signal to free fluid index. Further objects and advantages ofthe invention will be apparent from a reading of the following description in conjunction with thfe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a graphical representation of the magnitude of a typical gyromagnetic precession signal indicating its variation with time;

'FIG. 2v is a schematic block diagram illustrating a representative nuclear magnetism signal analyzing system according to the invention; and ,l

FIG. 3 'is a scheinatic circuit diagram illustrating the arrangement of certain'components of the system shown in FIG. 2. U o, Y In `nuclear magnetism ,well logging operations, free gyromagnetic nuclei, suchl as y protons contained in iluid material .in the formationladjacent to a well bore, are polarized by a strongfmagnetic iield so that their axes are aligned in a direction parallelto the iield. Following termination of therp'olarizing field, the protons tend to produce the precess in synchronism about axes' parallel to a residual magnetic field of lojgv strength which may be the earths field. lThe synchronously precessing free protons can inducea. detectable A.C. signalv .a detecting coil in the well bore lbut the magnitude of the detected precession signal is reduced rapidly in accordance with the rate at which the protons fare desynchronized or returned to random orientation `is a result of thermal agitation. This eiect is illustratedl vfin FIG. 1 ,wherein the curve 1,0 represents the instantaneous magnitude of the'A.C. signal induced in a coil by 's'ynchronouslyprecessing protons, the precession being initiated at a time designated to.' In the illustration of FIG. I, the effects.l of transient signals are not shown but, for a considerable period of time after t0, for example about 30%50 milliseconds, the detected proton precession signal 10 will tbe obliterated by other interfering signals of greater magnitude resulting from termination of the polarizing current. Consequently, it is not 'possible to determine directly'the magnitude 11 of the precession signal 10 at'the timeLo'f initiation.l f-

In accordance withl the invention, however, the decay curve 12 representing the rate of reduction of the magnitude of the signal 10,'isdetermine`d by integrating the D.C. value of the signal aft'era time Il which is selected to avoid any interfering signa In the example shownI in FIG. 1, the D.C. value is integrated during a short interval 13 extending from t1 toifi time t2 which may be about 20 milliseconds later ar'i also during a longer interval 14 beginning at t, and efiding at a time t3 which may be 'as much as millisecnds later. In this way, two values representing the magnitude of the signals at different-times are obtained and each value is averaged over a time long enough to eliminate the eifects of instantaneous iluctua tions in the precession signal "r interfering signals from other sources. The ratio of these values provides an acn curate indication of the period of the decay curve 12 which, in turn, can be used to determine the initial magniv tude 11 of the precession signal at the Vtime to. Y y .L

If desired, the two` measurement intervals may be suc# cessive or even spaced rather than overlapping as shown in FIG. 1. In such cases, however, if the measurements are to be completed in the same total time so that the signal is not too small to be significant before the end Aofthe-'last bore and to respond to synchronous precession of the protons therein. Within the instrument 15, a switch unit 20 connects the two conductors from the coil 18 either to an amplifier 21 which is, in tutti, connected to two conductors 22 and 23 of the cable 17 or to two further conductors 24 and, 25 in the cable 17f, the switch unit 20 being controlled by 'signals on another cable conductor 26a from a timing unit26 at the surface of the earth.

To permit the cloil 18 to be usecllv for generating the polarizing field in lthe formation 19, the conductors 24 and 25 are connected at the surface of the earth to a polarize power supply 27j'which provides the necessary current for the polarizing field to the coil 18:, when the switch 20 connects those conductors to the coil. When the precession signal is to b detected, the switch 20 connects the coil 18 to the amplifier 21 within the' instrument and the amplifier transmits ythe signals over the lines 22 and 23 to an amplifier 2S in which the signal is amplified in a conventional manner. From this amplifier, the signal is transmitted to a detector 29, described in detail hereinafter with reference to FIG. 3, wherein the D.C. component of the signal is obtairxed by full wave rectification.

Two integratorfsfO and 31, which are also described in detail hereinafter, receive the D signal from the detector and integrate it over a long period and a shorter period, respectively; under the control of the timing unit 26. The signal from the long interval integrator 30 is applied through Yaflow pass filter 32 which holds the voltage output of.; long integrator 30 lat a relatively cohstant value during Y,the reset and next `integration interval, to a ratio circuit 33 and also to a multichannel recorder 34. Similarly, the -output from the short interval integrator 31 is connected through a low pass filter 35, which performs the sarr1 e- .function as low pass filter 32, to both the ratio circuit j 33 and the multichannel recorder 34, the ratio circuit 3,3@f`being arranged in a conventional manner to take the ratio of the two integrator signals. Ihe ratiocircuit output? is applied to a correction factor function former 36 which produces a correction factor as described in detailjbelow and the correction factor and the short integrator signal are both transmitted to a conventional multiplying circuit 37. This, circuit produces a signal representing the product of the short integrator output and the correction factor and applies it to the recorder 34 as the'Free Fluid Index of the formation.

The detector 29',4 as shown in FIG. 3, is a full wave rectifier and receives the precession signal through a transformer 42. Qrre end of the secondary winding is connected through tw'o oppositely oriented diode rectifiers 44 and 45 and cprresponding series resistors 46 and 47 to two capacitors-4&-fand,ffe9, the other sides-of which are joined together to the other' end` of the` secondary winding, which is grounded- The junction 50 between the resistor 46 and the capacitor 48 is, in turn, connected through a' resistor 51 to one input of a difference amplifier 52 while the junction 53 between the resistor 47 and the capacitor 49 is connected through another resistor 54 to the other amplifier input and also to an output conductor 55 from the detector. The jetector 29 could comprise any linear rectifier circuit, besides the specific detector circuitfshown.

Inasmuch as both of the integrators 30 and 31 are-identical in structure, the difference being in the duration, of operation, only the`- integrator 30 is illustrate'd in detail in` FIG. 3. Within this integrator, the conductor 58 is connected through a normally opened contact 59 of a relay 60 and an adjustabile resistor 61 to one' input of an operational amplifier 63; the conductor 55 being joined to the other input of therffamplier. A capacitor 65 is connected between the input62 and an output conducor 66 from the amplifier and shunted by a resistor 67 whenever a normally open relail contact 68 is closed by energization of a relay 69. Both of the relays 60 and 69 are actuated through a cable 70 from the timing unit 26. The output of the integrator which is supplied to the low pass filtermay be adjusted by a variable resistor 71 connecting the' line 66 to ground, the wiper arm of which is connected to the low pass filter 32, as the case may be. The output voltage of the short integrator 30 is l 1 -atg The voltage output of the short integrator (for a fixed gate time) is thus a function of the initial voltage and the decay rate of the signal. By the use of the two integrators 30 and 31 having different time gates of, for example, 20 and 100 milliseconds respectively, sufficient information is produced for precise determination of the Free Fluid Index (FFI) of the formation. Actually, any two times {will work correctly so long as they are different and the interval of integration of the short integrator is long enough to provide an accurate value and the interval of integration of the long integrator does not extend so far as to be integrating noise only. v

For convenience, a scaling factor relating to the overall systemgain may be used that gives a true Free Fluid Index aging from the short integrator for a signal time constant of, for example, 70 ms. It not convenient to generate a decaying signal with a pre'cise time constant of 70 msj, so a continuous wave signal may be used for calibiatiorl. This signal is supplied from a suitable oscillator Za-at the surface which is cgnnected through a single throw switch 25a to the input Aof amplifier 21. Or, if desiredfthe oscillator 24a could be 'downhole and D.C. pow supplied to it for calibration. Also, the oscillator couldibe at the surface of the earth and the amplitude set in theginstrurnent 15 by suitable ineans.

Tlie basic reference for the system calibration may be, for example, the signal from a tank of water FFH with a dry 8-inch borehole..;The apparatus may be calibrated by introducing a continuous wave signal of a knovifrrr fraction of the 100% signal at the input to amplifier ,21. The signal area in the' gate-time is larger for the continuous -wave signal than for a decaying signal, but this area is not affected by the delay time before integration starts. With this system afcalibrating factor is used that corre'cts for the normaliged decay rate and thedl'ay time. This factor is iti-(Mnve t1/70 ms.(1 tg/1oms.) l i Aw) Vgtgl/' 'ms, For the 20 ms. short integrator gate time, it is f1/70 lun.

For the 100 ms. long integratorV gate, it is Tli'se calibration factors areji'ntroduced into each integrator 'by adjusting' the resistor 7l, which reducesv the effeciii gainofthe integrator. For signal time constants of other' Ithan 70-ms., a correction muse be made. The required" correction factor is defined to 'be such that v FFI(T,E)=FFI(S0, gate Correction Factor (6) but the values obtained from the integrators are FF1=AK= tune-@K The ratio of the two measurements as determined by the circuit 33 and a simple departure curve introduced by the function former 36 provides a convenient method for determining the amount of correction required for one of the readings. The short-gate' signal is used as the primary measurement `because it changes less with changing signal time constant. The ratio is 1-eat@ KL (11) A departure curve is produced by plotting the Correction Factor vs. As/AL for selected values of the integration starting time (t1) and the function former 36 is arranged in a conventional manner to produce an output in accordance with the departure curve.

In operation, the switch 20 is actuated to connect the polarize power supply 27 to the coil 18 in the instrument 15, producing a strong polarizing field which tends to align the axes of any free gyromagnetic nuclei, such as protons in water or oil, within the adjacent earth formation 19. After polarizatiomthe polarizing field is terminated in any conventional manner or in the manner described in my above-mentioned vcopending application, so that the protons precess in-synchronism aboutthe earths magnetic field and the timing unit 26 actuat-es the switch 20 to connect the coil 18 1t`o=the signal analyzing system through the conductors 22' rid 23. The signal induced in the coil 18 by the precespln'g protons, amplified by the amplifiers 21 and 28, is applied to the detector 29 through the transformer 42. It willfbe understood, of course, that further amplification may provided Athroughout the systern, where necessary, andi'that other conventional techniques for handling nuclear magnetism signals, such as filtering to select only the precession frequency signal, may be used.

During each positive portion of the precession signal y applied across the input resistor 43, as shown in FIG. 3,

current is conducted through the diode 45 and the resistors 47 and 54 to the positive input of the amplifier 52 and, during each negative portion, current is applied through the diode 44 and the resistors 46 and 51 to the other input. As a result, a precession signal, similar to the curve of FIG. l, is -converted to an output signal similar to the curve 12, the ripple being reduced to a minimum by the capacitors 48 and 49.

At the time t1, the relay 60 in the long interval integrator 30 and the corresponding relay in the short interval integrator 31 are energized by the timing unit 26 and thereafter the capacitor 65 in each unit is charged at a rate proportional to the signal amplitude at the input 62 which is, in turn, dependent upon the setting of the resistor 61. At the time t2, the relay 60 in the short interval integrator is de-energized and, at the time t3, the long interval integrator relay opens lso `that, in each case, the charge on the capacitor is proportional to the corresponding area 13 or 114 under the curve 12 of FIG. l.. These signals applied through the output conductor 66 to the ratio circuit 33 provide an output from the ratio unit which when applied to the function generator 36, produce the proper correction factor to convert the short integrator output signalpto a true FFI reading. After each measurement has -been made, the relay 69 in both integrators is energizedfto discharge the capacitor through the resistor 67 in preparation for the next meas urement. The multichannel recorder 34 records the truev FFI received from the multiplying circuit 37, and also records the signals received directly from the integrators 30 and 31.

I claim:

1. A method for nuclear magnetism well logging com prisng the steps of producing a first decaying nuclear free precession electrical signal representative of materials surrounding a, wellbore, integrating said electrical signal over two non-identical time intervals during the decay of said first signal to produce second and third electrical signals proportional to the respective integrals, and taking a ratio of said second and third electrical signals to provide a fourth ratio signal which is representative of the decay rate of said first signal.

' 2. A method according." to claim 1 including the step of extropolating the decay rate back to the time of initiation of the nuclear magnetism signals to determine the initial amplitude of the decaying signal.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the decaying signal is an alternating current signal and including the steps of rectifying the decaying signal prior to integration thereof. I

4. A method accor-ding to claim 1 including the step of integrating the signalnover two time intervals of different duration which start at the same time.

5. Apparatus for nuclear magnetism well logging comprising means for producing a decaying nuclear free precession electrical signal from materials surrounding a well bore, rst and second signal integrator means for integrating said signal, tim-ing means for rendering the in tegrator means operative during two non-identical selected time intervals during the decay of said free precession signal, and means for taking a ratio of the outputs of said two integrator means and for calculating therefrom the decay rate of said free precession signal.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the timing means includes means fdr initiating operation of the two integrator means simultaneously and terminatingv operD ation of the integrator means at different times.

7. Apparatus according to clairn'S including detector means for rectifying an alternating signal to be analyzed and applying the rectified signal to the integrator means.

8. Apparatus according to claim 5 including correction means responsive to the means for determining the ratio for applying a correction factor to one of the integrator output signals.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,888,638` 5/ 1959 Nelson 324-05 3,128,425 4/ 1964 Codrington 324-05 3,275,931 9/1966 Collins 324-05 OTHER REFERENCES Brown, R. J. S. and Gamson, B. W.: Nuclear Magnetism Logging, Journal of Petroleum Technology, August 1960, pp. 201-209.

RUDOLPH V. ROLINEC, Primary Examiner MICHAEL J. LYNCH, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 23S-183 

